Category: Misc.

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“Hot Spa & Snow Play” — Liaoning Sends its New Year Invitation to the World

SHENYANG, China, Feb. 13, 2018 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/ — Market Shopping, food tasting, wishes of good fortune, couplets… On February 6th, a coach full of Liaoning University’s international students from Russia, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Benin, Kenya as well as local medias travelled to Fushun and Yingkou. From Manchu culture to Liaohe folk custom, everyone who experienced the charm of Chinese traditions also welcomed the traditional Chinese Year of the Dog together with locals.

In the ancient city of Hetu Ala of Fushun, foreign students witnessed the folk performance of Manchu traditions, combined with historical stories from Hetu Ala to experience the vicissitudes of time. At Yingkou’s Red Flag Festival, foreign students took part in the Chinese traditional event of “catch up with the market”, writing Spring Festival couplets and Fu characters with local artists to experience the Chinese traditional Spring Festival customs.

“It’s very busy here. I see happy people everywhere. I not only experienced the atmosphere of the Chinese New Year, but also tasted a variety of Chinese food. I am very happy to have this opportunity to take part in this special event,” said SUSAN KARIMI NJIRU, the Kenya student from Liaoning University. She declared she is a fan of “everything Chinese”. This event had improved her understandings of Chinese culture.

Liaoning has launched the event with “Hot Spa & Snow Play — come to Liaoning for the Big New Year” as the theme for three consecutive years already, creating and developing a series of special products and routes related to the event, and has attracted many people’s interest and appreciation to folk customs here.

The brand effect of winter tourism has begun to work. “Liaoning has rich resources for winter tourism. It has its unique Chinese traditional folk culture. We are here to invite tourists from the globe to come and spend the Chinese New Year in Liaoning!” said Wang Xiaojiang, Liaoning Provincial Tourism Commission Deputy Director.

SOURCE: Liaoning Provincial Tourism Commission

Image Attachments Links:
http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=306844

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Sindh Health Minister and KfW Country Director inaugurates German funded Sukkur Regional Blood Centre

Karachi, February 14, 2018 (PPI-OT): Dr. Sikandar Ali Mandhro, Health Minister Sindh and Mr. Wolfgang Moellers inaugurated a modern Regional Blood Centre in Sukkur developed with the German Government grant through KFW Development Bank. Ms. Stefanie Peters, Senior Project Manager KfW for Asia, Dr. Nachtnebel Mathias, Technical Expert, Dr. Masuma Zaidi, Health Sector Coordinator, KFW Pakistan, Prof. Hasan Abbas Zaheer, National Coordinator, Safe Blood Transfusion Programme and Zahid Mahmood Team Leader EPOS were also present. The Secretary Health Sindh Dr. Fazlullah Pechuho, Dr. Zahid Hasan Ansari, Provincial Manager and Dr. Muhammad Naeem, President, Sukkur Blood and Drugs Donating Society hosted the inauguration ceremony.

The Sukkur Blood Centres is among the 10 Regional Blood Centres developed with the German Government grant of Rs.2 Billion (15 Million Euro) through KfW as part of the establishment of a nationwide network of 10 modern blood centres and up-gradation of 59 existing hospital-based blood banks all over the country in the first phase of the Safe Blood Transfusion Project (SBTP).

The Second Phase of the Project, the scope and coverage will be expanded with continued Germen support of Rs. 1.3 Billion (10 million Euro). In Sindh, four RBCs one each in Sukkur, Nawabshah, Jamshoro and Karachi have been developed and 24 hospital blood banks provided new blood storage equipment with German grant of Rs.600 million (5.2 million Euro). In Phase 11, 3 public sector blood banks i.e. JPMC Karachi, Civil Hospital Karachi and Civil Hospital Korangi and up to 2 NGO blood banks will be up-graded and strengthened with German grant of Rs.87 million (0.674 million Euro).

Speaking on the occasion, Health Minister expressed their appreciation to the German Government and KfW for the gift of 4 Regional Blood Centres to the people of the Sindh. He appreciated Germen delegation for especially coming to Sukkur for the Inauguration Ceremony. The Health Minister committed full support for the smooth functioning of the new Regional Blood Centres and the implementation of the Blood Programme in the province.

Minister promised to operationalise the remaining 3 RBCs of Nawabshah, Jamshoro and Karachi as soon as possible. To achieve the quality standard and ensure supply safe blood, he said the management of the Sukkur Regional Blood Centre is out-sourced to Sukkur Blood and Drug Donating Society and Jamshoro to the Indus Hospital under the private-public-partnership. The Health Minister appealed the local population especially youth to donate voluntary blood to the regional blood centres.

The KfW Country Director congratulated the Health Minister, Secretary Health for their keen interest in the implementation of the Blood Project in their province as well as for organizing the inauguration of the RBC Sukkur. He expressed the hope that these Centres will herald a new era of blood safety for the people of Sindh. He termed the Safe Blood Transfusion Project a “success story’ and appreciated the untiring efforts of the federal and provincial governments in making the project a success.

He said, German Government through KfW has contributed 25 million Euros (PKR 3.3 Billion) to support the blood safety reforms initiated by all the provinces / federating units of Pakistan. Out of 3.3 billion, Sindh province has received about Rs.687 million. He urged Sindh Government to immediately operationalise the RBCs of Nawabshah, Jamshoro and Karachi.

Prof. Zaheer, National Coordinator of the project informed that the Regional Blood Centres serve as blood procurement and distribution centre ensuring quality systems to regulate all activities which involve mobilization and retention of voluntary and regular blood donors, maintenance of donor database, collection of blood donations as well as processing screening, testing, component preparation and storage of the prepared components.

A customized Management Information System has been especially procured for the smooth functioning of the new RBCs. He added that the blood components prepared in these four RBCs will be provided to their linked 24 hospital blood banks of Sindh province. These 24 existing Hospital Blood Banks have been provided new equipment and the blood banks functionally re-modelled and converted into patient oriented hospital transfusion services to perform the function of storage, distribution compatibility testing and haemovigilance.

In this remarks, Dr. Fazlullah Pechuho, Secretary health Sindh thanked the German government and KfW for supporting the safe blood project in Sindh and assured full operationalisation of all the 4 regional blood centres and promotion of voluntary donations. He also thanked Minister Health for their keen interest and support extended in the operationalization of Regional Blood Centres.

He said, without German Government’s generous support, we may not have modern RBCs in Sukkur, Nawabshah, Jamshoro and Karachi and modern equipment in our 24 hospital blood banks of Sindh. The Sindh Government has taken responsibility of running the modern regional blood centres and contributed Rs.252 million for staffing, consumables, utilities, and 8 cold chain vehicles and other operating costs. The Sindh government will provide annual running cost of over Rs.175 million for these 4 RBCs.

He also appreciated the support provided by EPOS and GOPA German consulting companies for the design and implementation of the project. He also appreciated and efforts of Sukkur Blood and Drugs Donating Society and Dr. Zahid Hasan Ansari for immediate operationalisation of Sukkur RBC on a short notice. After the inaugural Ceremony, the guests visited different sections of the Sukkur Regional Blood Centre and inspected the modern facility.

For more information, contact:
Information and Archives Department
Directorate of Press Information
Government of Sindh
95-Sindh Secretariat 4-B, Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-99204423, +92-21-99204401
Email: pressinformationzubair@gmail.com
Website: http://sindhinformation.gos.pk

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The DigitalTown SmartWeb

Building a global consumer Internet that is Intuitive, Personalized and Secure

SEATTLE, Feb. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  DigitalTown, Inc. (OTC:DGTW), the leading provider of People-centric Solutions for Smart Cities, provided a condensed update on the status of the SmartWeb initiative and the start of Blockchain tokenization of the Company’s domain name portfolio.

In May 2017, DigitalTown launched an initiative called SmartWeb to make an Internet that is more intuitive, personalized and secure through the use of the new descriptive domain name extensions. Developed in cooperation with selected ICANN-accredited registries, each network of descriptive domain names is paired with an intuitive software platform that is connected through one single login that works across the entire network using a unified SmartWallet for managing shared services such as identity, preferences and payments. Each platform is designed to support Blockchain-based shared ownership and shared governance.

.CITY Network
The .CITY network is the flagship of DigitalTown. The company currently controls 13,742 development-grade .CITY domains that map to major population centers around the world. The DigitalTown City platform provides a web-based SmartSearch engine where residents and visitors search, connect, share and shop local. The web platform integrates with mobile applications for iOS and Android that can be branded in the identity of each city. Austin.city will be featured at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival starting March 9 in Austin, Texas.

.LAW Network launches as Got.Law
One of the first vertical initiatives of DigitalTown was the legal vertical. This was made possible through the acquisition of the assets of JustLegal in November 2017. DigitalTown controls 3,441 .LAW domains mapping to major population centers with legal economies, e.g. Denver.Law and is currently rolling out legal service provider discovery portals in cooperation with independent attorneys and local Bar associations under the umbrella brand Got.Law. By using the Got.Law platform consumers can schedule appointments, complete live video consults, and pay lawyers.

.MENU Network launches as Smart.Menu
DigitalTown has partnered with the .MENU registry to create Smart.Menu, a turn-key platform that equips any provider of prepared foods with the ability to create an interactive and searchable Smart.Menu portal, including the ability to search down to the ingredient level. Patrons can also use the platform to book tables and place online orders with participating restaurants. Smart.Menu currently maintains searchable menus for 1.6 million restaurants.

.BIBLE Network launches as Your.Bible
Developed in cooperation with the American Bible Society (ABS), the oldest and largest Bible society in the United States, DigitalTown’s Your.Bible software platform empowers ministry organizations to produce easy to use websites for content and transactions.  The platform was released in January and is being marketed by ABS.

.FASHION Network
Currently in the concept stage, the planned development seeks to connect local consumers with peer-to-peer fashion marketplaces where they can rent and purchase used and new fashion directly from local providers. DigitalTown controls 5,464 .FASHION domains that map to major population centers. The platform is expected to launch under the umbrella brand name My.Fashion.

.FIT Network
Currently in concept stage, the planned development seeks to connect local consumers with fitness professionals in their community for online scheduling and purchase of personal training services and fitness centers. As of February 2018, DigitalTown owns 5,699 .FIT domains, mapping to major population centers. The platform is expected to launch under the umbrella brand name Get.Fit.

.SHOP Network
Currently in development, Smart.Shop enables merchants to activate their own branded merchant portal using the .SHOP domain extension. Consumers are able to search for products across multiple online storefronts and place orders using their SmartWallet on a single login. The platform is currently in development in cooperation with the .SHOP registry, with a pilot operating in London.

.WEDDING Network
The planned development seeks to connect local consumers with local wedding planners, while providing direct booking with local hotels, catering and related services.  As of February 2018, DigitalTown owns 5,830 .WEDDING domains mapping to major population centers around the world, e.g. Bali.Wedding, as well as premium domains such as Destination.Wedding, Christian.Wedding, Catholic.Wedding and Budget.Wedding. The platform is expected to launch under the umbrella brand name Your.Wedding.

.WORK Network
DigitalTown is currently exploring a development partnership with a developer of Smart employment portals that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and social media tools to match candidates to local job opportunities.  As of February 2018, DigitalTown owns 13,713 .WORK domains mapping largely to population centers around the world. The platform is expected to launch under the umbrella brand name Get.Work.

.BAYERN, .BOSTON, .LONDON, .MIAMI, .NRW Networks
DigitalTown is working with region-specific registry operators to bring DigitalTown to regional markets, while leveraging their local domain extensions. As part of these strategic initiatives, DigitalTown owns portfolios across,.BAYERN (2000 domains), .BOSTON (16,978 domains), .LONDON (27,465 domains), .MIAMI (5,494 domains), and  .NRW (1000 domains).  Geographic domains held are mainly the most common first names and last names for the region and intended for use as branded permanent digital addresses for residents of these cities, powered by DigitalTown.

Rob Monster, CEO of DigitalTown commenting on the SmartWeb progress explained, “The new domain extension economy will benefit greatly from a unified architecture that both streamlines adoption by merchants and publishers, but also empowers consumers to engage with these services on a frictionless basis. We believe that domain investors have greatly undervalued the potential of the new domain extensions to improve people’s lives, while also empowering businesses to more effectively compete.  As with the .CITY portals, for cases where a single domain investor does not acquire a domain, we foresee potential for local vertically-focused Marketing Cooperatives that are jointly owned through Blockchain, Denver.Law, Seattle.Fit, Chicago.Menu, Bali.Wedding, Miami.Work, etc.”

DigitalTown’s domain portfolios were acquired on exceptionally favorable terms due to combination of the (1) the size of the portfolio acquisitions, (2) DigitalTown’s operating plan, and (3) strategic relationships with the registry operators. In December 2017, Minds and Machines (LSE:MMX), who operates a number of the most promising domain extensions, made a strategic investment in DigitalTown in order to accelerate market development of these domain networks as industry standards, e.g. LAW for the Legal profession.

For more information about DigitalTown, or to learn about pre-sale and partnership opportunities for the SmartWeb, visit on the web at DigitalTown.com or contact the company at info@digitaltown.com.

About DigitalTown
DigitalTown, Inc. (OTC :DGTW) empowers Smart Cities to succeed in the Digital Age. The company provides turn-key hosted solutions to power “Digital Towns”, which improve Quality of Life for residents and visitors through locally owned solutions for economic development, civic engagement and digital inclusion for cities around the world. For more information about the company, please visit www.digitaltown.com.

Safe Harbor Language: Any statements contained herein related to future events are forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. DigitalTown, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update any such statements to reflect actual events.

Media Contacts:

Rob Monster, CEO
+1-425-295-4564; rob@digitaltown.com

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Chief Justice of Pakistan takes notice of shifting of Shahrukh Jatoi to hospital and calls report from IG Jails Sindh within 24 hours

Islamabad, February 13, 2018 (PPI-OT): Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr. Justice Mian Saqib Nisar has taken notice of reported shifting of accused Shahrukh Jatoi, and / or others from jail to hospital after cancellation of bail from Supreme Court of Pakistan. Taking notice of the issue, Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan has called report from Inspector General Jails Sindh within 24 hours.

For more information, contact:
Public Relations Officer
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Tel: +92 51 9204184, 9220581
Fax: +92 51 9213452
Email: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk

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Shutdown in Shopian on 3rd day against arrest of youth

Srinagar, February 10, 2018 (PPI-OT): In occupied Kashmir, complete shutdown is being observed in Shopian district on the third consecutive day, today, against the arrest of two youth by the Indian police. All shops and other commercial establishments are closed while traffic is off the road. The police had arrested the youth from Bonbazar area of Shopian town during a night raid on Wednesday (February 7) for participating in anti-India demonstrations.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org

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Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights in its meeting on Friday has passed The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2017

Islamabad, February 09, 2018 (PPI-OT): Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights in its meeting on Friday has passed The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2017. The amended bill that was passed is a clubbed legislation of two bills moved by Senators Karim Ahmed Khawaja and Rubina Khalid separately.

The meeting was held with Senator Nasreen Jalil in the chair and was attended among others by Senators Karim Ahmed Khawaja, Mufti Abdul Sattar, Sehar Kamran, Sitara Ayaz, Chairman Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Professor Qibla Ayaz, and officials from ministry of human rights, ministry of law and National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR).

The Committee had sought recommendations from CII on the issue of mechanism to determine the gender of transgender persons in general and their issues of inheritance in particular. Qibla Ayaz told the meeting that the Council has held detailed meetings and deliberations on the matters concerning transgender persons and has reached consensus on three things. The first and prime responsibility of determining the gender of such persons is with the parents.

If parents are not known and have disowned the person then the determination of gender will be based on self-presumed identity of the transgender concerned. He further said that only in cases when inheritance issues emerge and clear evidence of gender is required, then court may prescribe a medical board to determine the gender of the specific person otherwise such check-up wouldn’t be necessary. The Committee appreciated the detailed insight and work conducted by the Human Rights ministry, NCHR and especially CII. The bills were passed with similar recommendations as those given by CII.

The matter of considering procedural changes to check misuse of blasphemy law in Pakistan was deferred while making clear that the discussion on the matter is not to debate the blasphemy law in itself but an attempt to reduce the wrong use of law. The Committee briefly discussed the matter of missing persons and abductions and unanimously called for a new commission on enforced disappearances with a new head of the commission.

For more information, contact:
Senate of Pakistan
Tel: +9251 920 4564 534
Fax: +9251 920 5703
H.No.7, Cat-II, G-8/2,
Islamabad.
Web: www.senate.gov.pk
E-mail: senate@comsats.net.pk

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Hurriyat forum condemns attack on IOK students in Haryana

Srinagar, February 04, 2018 (PPI-OT): In occupied Kashmir, the Hurriyat forum has condemned the brutal assault on Kashmiri students studying at Central University in Haryana by fanatic goons. The Hurriyat forum spokesman in a statement issued in Srinagar said that Kashmiri students and businessmen were living under an insecure environment in various states of India.

He said: “In the past, many incidents of attacks on Kashmiri students took place which forced many students to return back to Kashmir. It was the primary responsibility of governments of various states of India to ensure safety and security of all the students.”

He said: “These tactics are being done aimed to build pressure on the people to break their resolve for which they have rendered numerous sacrifices. However, the fact remains people are committed to the sacred movement and are continuously offering priceless sacrifices to take the movement to its conclusion.” The spokesman also condemned the continued house detention of the Hurriyat forum Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and arrest of Mukhtar Ahmad Waza who was lodged in Police Station, Mattan.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Phone: 92-51-4435548, 4435549
Fax: 92-51-4861736